November 03, 2011 - Uplifting Fathers, Empowering Communities

As a child, Schweitzer Fellow and Simmons School of Social Work student Charles Daniels witnessed his mother’s struggles as a single parent. So why is his Schweitzer service project—a weekly initiative based at The Dimock Center—focused on supporting low-income fathers?

Because when Daniels thought about his father, he took an unexpected approach: “I thought about the things he was going through that prevented him from remaining active in my life,” he says. “Then I said to myself, ‘What if someone had been there to help him?’ It might have made a tremendous difference.

That’s exactly the sort of difference Daniels’ Schweitzer project, Fathers’ Uplift, is designed to deliver.

“Data suggests that 80% of single parent-homes are headed by women,” he says. “This means that although many women are remaining in their children’s lives, many fathers are not. If we can identify the problems that are preventing men from being in their children’s lives, we can find ways to help them work through those problems and remain engaged.”

Click here to read a full Five Questions for a Fellow interview with this Schweitzer Fellow.

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